Manchester City is going through one of its most turbulent moments of the Pep Guardiola era. The defeat against modest Bodo/Glimt, the first by an English team against the Norwegians, has unleashed a storm in the British press. “Horror show”, “humbling”, “humiliation”… The headlines leave no room for doubt: the champion is reeling.
The blow has been twofold. First came the stumble in the derby against Manchester United and then the European setback. Two defeats have left City without direction and with morale on the floor. In the Premier League, they have gone four games without a win and have only tasted victory twice so far in 2026.
The setback in Norway has set off all the alarm bells. “Everything has been going wrong since the beginning of the year,” admitted Guardiola, visibly upset. His team is second in the Premier League, seven points behind Arsenal, and is in danger of missing out on the top eight in the Champions League group stage.
Looking to the future
To the criticism is added a fact that weighs heavily: the spending. Since January 2025, City have invested 500 million euros in signings. In this market alone, they have already spent 100 million on Semenyo and Guehi. Reinforcements that were supposed to shore up the project and, for the moment, are failing to make up for the disconnection of a team that seems to have run out of spark.
Neither the cold of Norway nor excuses are any longer a comfort. The English champions are looking for answers while the local press is questioning whether Guardiola’s magic is still alive in a dressing room that has lost the sparkle of the happy days.
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